Monday, April 28

Tag: drugs

Am I Addicted To Drugs?
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HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR

Am I Addicted To Drugs?

If you are asking yourself this question, consider it a good sign. If you are addicted, it means you've come to the point of looking at your habits and behavior with a critical eye. Believe it or not, that is a big step and is the first requirement for recovery from addiction. If you are not addicted, asking yourself this question is also an important indication. It says that you are in danger; danger not only from the damages of drug use or abuse, but it says that you are approaching a critical point where your habits could take you down into a new realm in which you may not have the luxury of self-examination. So what are the indications of addiction and do they exist in your life? 1. There is no question about whether or not I'm going to use today. If daily use for you is a given, t...
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According To A New Study Dangerous Counterfeit Drugs Are Putting Millions Of US Consumers At Risk
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IN OTHER NEWS

According To A New Study Dangerous Counterfeit Drugs Are Putting Millions Of US Consumers At Risk

The Food and Drug Administration took 130 enforcement actions against counterfeit medication rings from 2016 through 2021, according to my new study published in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy. Such actions might involve arrests, confiscation of products or counterfeit rings being dissolved. These counterfeiting operations involved tens of millions of pills, more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of active ingredient powder that could be turned into pills in the U.S. and hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. Unfortunately, with over 11,000 rogue pharmacy sites selling drugs on the internet, these actions barely scratch the surface. The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations conducts and coordinates criminal investigations into manufacturers and individuals violating federal...
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After A Minneapolis Death A Relic Of The ‘War On Drugs’ No-Knock Warrants, Face Renewed Criticism
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IN OTHER NEWS, LAW ENFORCEMENT

After A Minneapolis Death A Relic Of The ‘War On Drugs’ No-Knock Warrants, Face Renewed Criticism

Protests in Minneapolis over the death of a 22-year-old man during a police raid have reignited debate over the role of so-called “no-knock warrants.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey imposed a moratorium on the practice, in which police obtain permission to enter a premises unannounced, and often accompanied by heavily armed SWAT teams. As a former police officer, I took part in no-knock raids. Often they offered little return – my team ended up empty-handed, with no real criminal evidence. I now teach criminal justice and police ethics and have observed that the use of no-knock warrants has increasingly become a concern for those demanding criminal justice reform. Obtaining a ‘no-knock’ can be a low bar No-knock warrants are an exception to the “knock and announce” rule, a common law polic...
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Sex, Drugs And TikTok: Keeping Young People Safe Needs A Mature Response
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CULTURE, Journalism

Sex, Drugs And TikTok: Keeping Young People Safe Needs A Mature Response

Isabelle Volpe, UNSW and Clare Southerton, UNSW You may have read recently that TikTok allegedly “serves up” sex and drug videos to minors. Media reports have described the video-sharing platform, which is designed predominantly for young people, as an “addiction machine” that promotes harmful content. In an investigation, reporters at the Wall Street Journal created 31 bot accounts on TikTok, each programmed to interact only with particular themes of content. Many of the bots were registered as being aged 13-15, including one programmed with an interest in “drugs and drug use”, which was ultimately shown 569 videos related to drugs. The investigation sought to better understand how the app’s algorithm selects videos for users. The workings of these kinds of algorithms are an industry s...
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One Potentially Dangerous Substance Likely To Be Mixed Into Illicit Drugs – Rat Poison
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HEALTH & WELLNESS

One Potentially Dangerous Substance Likely To Be Mixed Into Illicit Drugs – Rat Poison

Health C. Michael White, University of Connecticut Over 150 people in Illinois started bleeding uncontrollably after using synthetic cannabis-based products – including fake marijuana, Spice and K2 – that contained the rat poison brodifacoum in March and April 2018. By the end of July 2021, these banned products were still being sold in 10 states and the District of Columbia, resulting in hundreds of severe bleeds and several deaths. Illicit drug use was responsible for an estimated 166,613 deaths worldwide in 2017 due to overdose. The increased risk of disease and injury associated with illicit drug use caused an additional estimated 585,348 premature deaths. And it’s impossible to tease out whether people were harmed by the drugs themselves or by the myriad impurities added to them. ...
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In the rush to innovate for COVID-19 drugs, sound science is still essential
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COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

In the rush to innovate for COVID-19 drugs, sound science is still essential

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have been at the center of debate in recent weeks over which drugs should be used to treat COVID-19. Neither product has strong evidence to support use for this purpose, and small studies reported to date have either had significant flaws or failed to demonstrate effect. Nonetheless, the president can’t seem to stop pushing them, arguing that patients have nothing to lose. As physicians, bioethicists and drug law experts, we have a responsibility to inject caution here. As public officials and scientists rush to innovate, no one should overlook the critical role of strong regulatory protections in supporting our ability to actually figure out which drugs work against COVID-19. Weakening commitment to science and evidence during this crisis truly would be...
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Drug Users Fighting Back Against America’s War on Drugs
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IMPACT

Drug Users Fighting Back Against America’s War on Drugs

People addicted to opioids and other substances are organizing a national movement to demand a say in drug-policy reform. Like so many activists, Jess Tilley discovered grassroots organizing through personal hardship. In 1997, she was living in Northampton, Massachusetts, regularly injecting heroin. A limited access to clean needles led her to reuse dulled equipment, and she developed an abscess. Through friends, Tilley learned of a program where users could get free new syringes — no questions asked. At Tapestry Needle Exchange, she also discovered a community of people eager to improve their lives and the lives of others addicted to drugs. “We started talking about the mistreatment we received in emergency rooms,” Jess remembers. “I told them, ‘We need to advocate for ourselves. They ...
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IN OTHER NEWS

Drugs On Social Media vs. The Dark Web

The growth of advanced technology has gone hand in hand with the advancement of organized drug networks. Throughout history, drug syndicates have always relied on physical addresses to conduct business across numerous jurisdictions. The fact that these organizations relied on the already-existing geographical and legal boundaries meant that they were particularly exposed to a host of limitations. Low-level drug traders were categorized according to individual suburban establishments or cities that provided their needed demands—the tangibility of persons, spaces and areas was a key characteristic of such drug syndicates. Today, new internet developments have given rise to the establishment of e-commerce websites that have converted traditional “brick-and-mortar” models to a vast virtual...
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Three Latvian Men Arrested Over Drugs Procured on the Dark Web Using Cryptocurrencies
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LAW ENFORCEMENT

Three Latvian Men Arrested Over Drugs Procured on the Dark Web Using Cryptocurrencies

Customs police of the Latvia State Revenue Service (SRS) have arrested three men for procuring controlled substances on the dark web marketplaces using virtual currencies, and via postal services, Customs and Tax Police Department have reported. The three Latvia citizens, aged 30, 25 and 24, are facing several counts of charges for buying illegal drugs and psychotropic substances online from the so-called dark web, an encrypted section of the internet using cryptocurrencies that conceal the identities of buyers and their transactions avoiding law enforcement agencies from catching up on them. The investigations launched in April this year stated that the three men had been conducting the illegal business for quite a long time. According to the customs police, the drugs were procured onli...
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